Whenever a thriller with an unusual storyline is about to be released, there are speculations galore if it is actually an original effort or inspired from an outside source. MAHARATHI, a Shivam Nair directed film which is all set for release this Friday, is about a man (Naseeruddin Shah) who shoots himself after throwing a challenge to his wife (Neha Dhupia) to make his death sound like a murder and then go on to benefit from insurance. So how original is MAHARATHI?

"See, people have a common perception when it comes to a thriller. They feel that every thriller is made out of a Sherlock Holmes episode or a James Hedley Chase/Sidney Sheldon novel", Neha Dhupia defends, "Where we have taken our inspiration though is a Gujarati play by the same name. Also, it has turned out different from the original theatre version. Cinematically, we could afford to be less verbose because making movies is such a different medium when compared to theater."

And how about the play in itself. Is the storyline absolutely original?

"True, the play is absolutely original. It is about how you can prove someone's death to be a murder. I play Naseeruddin Shah's wife who is after her husband's wealth. But then there are people around me also who want to get a piece of the pie. The levels they all stoop to and the games they play is what MAHARATHI is about", details Neha.